Secret Rose
by TotallyNuts
Summary: A late V-Day fic! Sun Shang Xiang gets a rose from her secret admirer at the annual Wu Valentine's Ball... (not completed anymore- I'm continuing it)
1. Princess' Heartache

I don't own Koei or Dynasty Warriors...

This is a Valentines' Day fic I did for Valentines Day (well duh!). It's a bit late, but I thought I'd share it with everyone as I happen to like it a lot! My first go at fluffy romance...yes this chapter is the introduction so it's a bit short. The fic in general is a bit short, but enjoy it anyway!

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**Chapter 1- Princess' Heartache**

In the Wu courtyard, Sun Shang Xiang sat alone. So it was a normal Valentine's Day for her then. She had never been with anyone before, but it wasn't as if men were throwing themselves at her feet. Being the Wu princess, men from across China made offers for her hand in marriage, but she always refused. The Qiaos would as usual, have a go at her for this…

"Why don't you try looking for that special someone?" Da would nag.

"It's not hard!" Xiao would tell her. "There's got to be a man for you out there!"

Shang Xiang hoped so. She knew deep down that she couldn't go on alone forever. Sure, she had her family- her father, her brothers- but the little girl inside her wanted to be protected by someone else. Someone she could rely on, and be there for her. Someone she could love…

Underneath the moonlight she sat looking at what was in her hand. A single red rose. She had found it on her bed an hour ago. It had no note, and no clue as to who it was from. At first she suspected it was a practical joke from Sun Ce, but Ce wouldn't dare go near her room with her bodyguards near! But if it wasn't him, who was it from?

The petals were so perfectly formed, and the rose itself was flawless. Sun Shang Xiang wasn't a flowery type of girl (that was the Qiaos!), but the beauty of the rose was so captivating, and for once she had to admit it was enchanting. Normally she avoided these feminine things, but she held on to the rose. She heard some noise from the castle- the party must still be on, she thought as she stood up, and walked back to banquet hall.

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Review please! Not that there's much to review... there's always the next chapter:) 


	2. The Search Is On

I'm never going to own Koei or Dynasty Warriors... sniff...

Next chapter! The intro was short- now the plot begins!

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**Chapter 2- The Search Is On**

"Whoo!"

As soon as Shang Xiang entered the room, she was pulled by her eldest brother Sun Ce, and he dragged her back to the dance floor, where he twirled her around. She giggled as he tried dancing to the music- his wife Da just stood at the side, embarrassed at what he was doing. He was drunk, of course, and acting like a fool! Everyone was enjoying themselves- once again the Qiaos had done a good job of organising the annual Wu Valentines Ball. The hall was decorated with flowers, and lively music was being played. The officers were dancing with their wives (and some of the maids!), and the single generals were sitting at tables watching the dancing.

"How much has he drank?" Taishi Ci asked as he watched Sun Ce throw his arms up in the air.

"Enough!" replied Sun Quan, and he drank some of his wine. "I see Shang Xiang returned then?"

Ci nodded. "Yeah- where was she anyway? I thought she was going to rip off that dress, but she's still wearing it! Strange…but she's been quiet, hasn't she?"

"I thought so too. I think little sis wants a man…"

Half the generals heard this and nearly choked on their wine.

"I'm sorry?" said Zhou Tai. "Lady Sun wants a MAN?"

"Yes Zhou Tai. Well, that's what I think. I mean, she's what, 20 now? She's at that age." Quan put his glass down, and watched his sister. Sun Shang Xiang was now out of her brother's clutches and sitting next to Xiao Qiao, who was fussing over a rose. He sighed deeply. "She needs one too- every girl does."

"But the Lady Sun is no ordinary young woman," Zhou Tai continued. " She's not a Qiao. But I think you're right. Do you think she's started looking?"

Sun Quan looked at his 'bodyguard'. "Probably not. She's never been interested in that as far as I know. I wonder if she has though, and I wonder if she's looking at any of those lot." He pointed down the row at the other generals, who were ignoring the fact that it was Valentines Day, the most love filled day of the year, and just drinking and conversing as usual. Zhou Tai chuckled- the thought of Shang Xiang with any of those men needed a lot of imagination!

"Ooh it's so pretty Shang!" Xiao exclaimed as she examined the rose. "It's so pretty it's perfect!"

"I know, but who gave it to me?"

"Maybe it was Lu Xun! He spends a lot of time in the garden, so he could have picked it for you!"

"I don't think so…"

"Okay then…Lu Meng?"

"Argh no! He's well, erm, I don't like older men. And he doesn't like me in that way."

Xiao racked her brains for a few moments. "How about Zhou Tai?"

"Nah, he's not really a woman kind of guy."

"Taishi Ci?"

"No! He's too much of a jerk to be this thoughtful!"

"Okay then- Gan Ning?"

Shang Xiang had to think about this one. Gan Ning was one of her best friends, even though he was an ex-pirate. She had warmed to him though since his arrival in Wu. They hung out and sparred together, enjoyed a good joke, and generally chatted when they could. She enjoyed his company, and hated it when she had to leave. But was it just that?

"No way Xiao! If it was him, maybe he just felt sorry for me!"

Xiao sighed and handed the rose back to Shang. "If it wasn't him, maybe he knows who gave it to you! You should go and ask him! If anyone knows, he will!"

Shang Xiang nodded, and after deciding she's talk to him later, walked back over to Sun Ce to dance with him. She was wearing a dress (after Da had spent a whole afternoon persuading her), and it did make dancing hard, but she couldn't really embarrass herself more than Ce, who was now trying to sing along in slurred Chinese! She had bigger things to think about.

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SSX is wearing a dress... what has the world come to:) R&R please? Pretty please?


	3. Lu Xun Gives A Clue

As before, I don't own Koei or Dynasty Warriors

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**  
Chapter 3: Lu Xun gives a clue**

"Hi Ning, what's up?"

Gan Ning looked up from where he sat at his table to see Sun Shang Xiang standing next to him. She took a seat next to him.

"Hey Shang- why aren't you dancing?"

"I need your help! Someone gave me this-" she showed him the rose, "and I need to know who. You know all the generals and officers…so what do you say?"

"Alright then- we'll see which one of these miserable saps gave you the flower!" He then paused for a minute, before turning to Lu Xun, who was avoiding being dragged to the dance floor by a cheery Xiao Qiao. "Xun?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know anything about roses?"

Lu Xun just glanced at the ex-pirate. Since when was Gan Ning interested in flowers? "Well yeah of course I do. Funny you should ask, because a certain someone asked me about roses earlier today…wanted a perfect one…"

Shang Xiang's ears pricked up, and she thrust the rose in front of Lu Xun's face. "This one?"

Lu Xun took the rose from her and examined it. Yes, he could remember it well. He had been asked to select it from the rose garden, under strict instructions that it had to be perfect, or else… "Yeah, it was this one! It took me all afternoon to find!"

"So…who asked you to find it?"

"Really Sun Shang Xiang, I can't tell you! Please don't make me!"

"Don't make me get my chakrams! Please tell me! I have to know." She gave him her puppy dog eyes look, and he sighed. He hated it when she acted all sweetly…

"Alright then." He leaned closer to Shang Xiang and Gan Ning, and whispered something so only they could hear. After, Shang's jaw dropped.

"No way!"

"I'm serious! Don't say anything!"

Shang Xiang looked at Gan Ning, and he looked as if he was about to burst in a fit of laughter. She didn't know how to react. Surely something was up. Him? No, it couldn't be. It was just, well, wrong! Lu Xun simply sat in his seat looking at the rose.

"Do you think he, erm, likes you?" Xun asked as he gave it back to her.

"……………………………..." was her response.

Gan Ning, after managing to control himself, had a turn at admiring the rose. Sure, it was pretty, but would that man seriously give it to Shang Xiang?

"Can you come with me to find him Ning?" asked Shang Xiang. Her tone of voice was quite worrying.

"Sure! You'll need all the support you can get!" Finishing his sentence, he stood up, and the followed Shang Xiang to the library to find the 'mystery man'.

Lu Meng sat with Zhou Tai in the library, where some of the 'quieter' generals and officers sat enjoying a quiet drink. They weren't that interested in the Valentines Day festivities that much, and the library was one of those places that the Qiaos didn't visit much. Meng took a sip of his wine and leant back in his chair, closing his eyes. He was trying to relax after a hard day, and just wanted to rest. He felt another presence next to him, and opened his eyes to see Sun Shang Xiang standing in front of him.

"Lady Sun, did you want something?" he asked as he sat back up.

"Lu Meng, why didn't you say anything?"

Lu Meng was confused. Say anything about what? He noticed Gan Ning was standing next to her, about to laugh his head off. "I don't understand…"

"I know you're a hard working general, and you concentrate very hard on your work. It's just that, well…"

"Well…?"

"I didn't know you felt that way about me."

There was a few seconds silence, until Gan Ning started laughing. Even Zhou Tai couldn't help but chuckle at this. Lu Meng liking the princess? What was the world coming to?

"Shang Xiang, what are you on about?"

"You did give me this rose, right?" She showed him the flower, and judging by the look on his face, it certainly looked familiar.

"Oh this! Listen Shang, I contributed to the giving of the rose, but I was told to go and get it by someone. You're a nice girl, but I don't feel that way about you, so don't worry!"

He smiled as Shang Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the last thing she wanted was an older general like himself having the hots for her!

"I can't believe I've just embarrassed myself in front of you!"

Ning gave a little laugh. Imitating her, he said "Oh Lu Meng, I didn't know you felt that way about me!" Zhou Tai chuckled even more in his deep voice, and seeing that they were making fun of her, Shang Xiang playfully hit Ning on the arm.

"So who asked you to get it from Lu Xun?"

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The 'mystery' continues... (my guess is that most people already know!) R&R please as usual:) 


	4. Kitchen Confession

Disclaimer as before... I don't own Koei or DW at all...  
Here you go! The final chapters... I thought everyone would know! Hehe... you'll find out at the end:)

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**  
Chapter 4: Kitchen Confession**

Towards the end of the night, it was beginning to become like a never ending circle. This rose, was clearly part of some kind of joke, and it was becoming less and less funny. So far, with the help of Gan Ning's interrogation skills, Sun Shang Xiang had found out most of the rose's trail. Lu Xun had planted the rose under the instructions of Lu Meng, who had been asked by Da Qiao to find a rose. Da had been asked by Zhou Yu, who had been asked by Huang Gai, who had been asked by Taishi Ci. In the end, it had boiled down to one person- Sun Ce.

She couldn't believe she had been the victim of yet another of his practical jokes! And using her emotions in the process? Her big brother had crossed the line one too many times. Leaving Gan Ning in the banquet hall, she went to pursue Ce, but it wasn't long until she found him, slumped in between two kegs of wine on the kitchen.

"YOU!"

Ce looked up from where he lay on the ground, oblivious to reality. He was wasted, but it didn't take much of his limited brain capacity to realise that his sister was angry. She stormed over to him, and threw the rose at his face.

"What was that for?" Ce said, slurring his speech. He sat up, just as Shang Xiang lunged for his throat. "Hey!"

She was trying to strangle him, but his hands were too strong , and he just restrained her.

"Why did you do this? WHY?" She was hitting his stomach, and she looked as if she was crying. "It's not funny to mess with my emotions like that!"

"Whoa!" Sun Ce pulled her to the side, and attempted to calm her down. He saw the rose, and gulped. "Oh that. You're upset?"

She pointed to her tears. "What do these look like? Do you know I've spent nearly all night running around like a headless chicken, trying to find the one guy who gave me this? Do you?"

"No… how many people did you have to ask?"

"Lu Xun, Lu Meng, Da, Zhou Yu, Huang Gai, and Taishi Ci!"

"That many? I didn't think it would be passed down that far. I thought Taishi Ci would do it, but I suppose that's laziness for you! Why are you so upset about it?"

"Because I thought someone liked me. I honestly did. Now it seems that there's no hope for me now." She wiped her tears and went back to her anger at Sun Ce. "That was a cruel thing you did Ce."

"What, you think it was me?" He laughed, and put a friendly arm around his sister. "I don't play horrible tricks, but I suppose it was kind of my fault, trusting Taishi Ci. I would have done it myself, but Da expects a lot this time of year. No it wasn't me- your trail isn't over yet little sister!"

"I don't think I can do any more chasing Ce. It's pointless now. Valentine's Day is nearly over, and I'm still the lonely girl without a hope."

"Listen to yourself Shang Xiang! Someone out there loves you, so shut up and go look for him! Besides, you still have an hour until midnight, and……he…….he……."

Ce didn't get to finish his sentence as he had fallen asleep, now snoring heavily in between the kegs. Sun Shang Xiang picked up the rose, stood up, and draped a nearby blanket over her dozy brother. The night still wasn't over…

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Ooh so close! Keep on reading to find out! 


	5. The Truth Comes Out

Disclaimer- I don't own Koei or DW still... you'd think I'd sick of typing this over and over...  
Final chapter! Enjoy! Sun Shang Xing finds her 'prince'... aah... :)

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**  
Chapter 5: The Truth Comes Out**

On his boat, Gan Ning lay back on the deck looking up into the moonlit sky. Nearly midnight, and the party was nearly over. He didn't know how much more he could take of seeing Sun Shang Xiang chasing after generals. Maybe he should tell her, tell her who it really was…

He wanted to hit Sun Ce for letting it get out of hand. That man just couldn't be trusted with a simple task such as getting a pretty rose and leaving it for Shang Xiang to find. It wasn't that hard! But no, Ce had to pass it down to nearly half the Wu generals to do instead! At least Ning could trust Ce with his little secret. Never before had he really confessed his feelings to anyone, and Ce was the last person he would have told them to. But he couldn't keep it locked up anymore, especially as it was Valentines Day. She had to know how he felt about her. That he loved her.

Sun Ce had been a bit surprised to hear that Gan Ning was in love with his sister. He was just as surprised at the fact that Gan Ning, the ex-pirate, was in love with anyone! So Ce devised a plan (as things turned out, not a very good one!) so that Shang Xiang would get the idea that someone liked her. Ning was sceptical as Ce wasn't that clever, but who else could he have told? Sun Quan didn't know much about love; he didn't know how Sun Jian would react; and the Qiaos? They would blow the whole thing out of proportion. If nothing happened, he'd have to tell her himself…

"I thought you'd be here!"

Ning looked up and saw none other than Sun Shang Xiang towering over him. He quickly sat up as she sat down next to him. The rose was still in her hand.

"Is the party over?" he asked.

She sighed. "Very nearly. It ends at midnight."

They sat in silence for a while, just gazing into the sky. Part of Gan Ning just wanted to shout out "I love you!" but he didn't know how she felt. The last thing he wanted to do was make a complete ass of himself, especially in front of his best friend. What was he going to do?

"So did you find the guy?"

"No, but I found Sun Ce. He said I was close but he didn't finish telling me. I suppose he was too drunk…" She played with the rose a bit. "He said that the guy loves me, so why haven't I noticed anything? Am I that oblivious to romance?"

"Hey Shang, it's not your fault! Maybe it's just this guy. Maybe he just was too shy to tell you."

"Maybe. Do you know him? You've been helping me so much today- surely you must have some idea?"

Ning then knew he had to tell her. She was distraught now and blaming herself. "I kind of now him, yes."

She smiled at this- finally she'd know. "Why didn't he tell me that he loved me?"

"Well, he was scared about his own feelings for you. He doesn't come across as an emotional guy."

"Is he a general?" Shang Xiang interrupted.

Ning continued. "Yeah, he is." And letting a bit of his egoism get in the way, he added "A good general too."

"Oh, so my secret admirer is strong?" She giggled a bit. "Does he like me for my personality?"

"Of course, he loves your personality. He thinks you're a very strong-willed woman, and he admires you for that. You remind him of himself."

Gan Ning then turned to Shang Xiang, who was looking down onto the deck, deep in thought. He wasn't sure whether she'd figured it out or not, so he carried on.

"He likes you a lot you know. I don't know why he doesn't tell you, I guess it's because-"

"I like him a lot too."

He looked at her, and she lifted her head up to face him. Their eyes locked for a moment, and not used to this kind of intensity, she beamed a smile, blushed, and diverted her gaze away from him. So it was the sneaky ex-pirate all along? She couldn't believe he had lied to her, but she was so happy she couldn't care less! Deep down inside she had been looking for a man just like Gan Ning, and it had never occurred to her than it was actually Gan Ning she had wanted for all this time. He really was perfect for her, but was it really him?

She shuffled closer to him until their sides touched. She then held his right hand, waiting for a reaction. She smiled when he tightened his grip, holding her hand tight.

Ning then decided to do something out of the ordinary. Something even more nerve-wracking than storming into enemy territory. He pulled up all of his courage, and kissed the Wu princess on the cheek. He quickly pulled his head back in case she did something like slap him.

But she didn't slap him. Instead, she kissed his cheek back, and used her hands to turn his head to face her. She gazed into his eyes for a bit, until she decided to just go for it and kiss his lips.

Sure she was nervous- she was kissing her best friend, but she was also kissing the man who loved her. And she loved him back. Mid-kiss she realised that he was kissing her back, so she let him guide her along. She had done enough work that night anyway!

After their romantic moment, they sat in each others arms and watched the moon in the dark night sky, neither of them wanting to leave. Sun Shang Xiang had found her man, and her new life…

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Hope you all enjoyed it! Review please, and thank you for reading! Now to write more stuff... :) 


	6. Brand New Start

Disclaimer: as it always has been from the start...

So I changed my mind! I'm now CONTINUING Secret Rose! I just thought that I could really add more to it so I'm challenging myself. The chapters will be a bit short as they have done in this fic, but short is sweet, right:)

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**Chapter 6- Brand New Start**

Sun Shang Xiang yawned and stretched as she opened her eyes allowing the light to filter through. It was a bright day- a little too bright. It was then she noticed that she wasn't inside her comfortable castle bedroom, but outside lying on a boat deck. Also there was a muscular arm wrapped around her side. She opened her eyelids even more to take a proper look. The skin of the arm was tanned a lovely light golden shade, and it was also decorated with tattoos of dragons, serpents, and various Chinese characters. As soon as she fit all of these different components in her head she remembered last night and how it had ended. She smiled when she remembered the initial chase for her secret admirer, the confession of hidden feelings, and then her reward at the end of it all- a kiss from the man she loved. Shang Xiang then tilted her head over and looked at Gan Ning who had his arm around her. He was still sleeping peacefully, the sun shining onto his body beneath the ship sail and the gentle morning breeze sweeping through his hair. Shang sat up moving his arm which caused him to stir a little. He yawned and stretched, opened his eyes and sat up next to her. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Then, at that moment, he leant over to kiss her cheek. He then gave her a quick kiss on the lips as if to say 'good morning'. (Shang Xiang knew he wasn't much of a morning person so she got the message!)

"Good morning Shang Xiang," Ning said as he wrapped his arms around her. Shang Xiang cuddled him back. "Did you sleep well?"

Shang Xiang nodded and kissed him back. "I had a very nice sleep! Even nicer than usual thanks to a certain presence next to me…" She gazed into Ning's eyes, and he brushed some of her loose hair from out of her face.

"And I wonder who that could be?" he inquired quite cheekily. He laughed and then kissed her forehead. He noticed that Shang was now blushing pink, so he gave her a hug. Inside his heart was jumping everywhere, and it was the Wu princess that was making it do so. The ex-pirate was in love and no one knew yet. The pair had slept outside after spending all night talking to each other, and eventually becoming so tired that they fell asleep in each others arms. Thankfully it hadn't been a cold night otherwise Sun Jian would've surely hunted Gan Ning down for letting his only daughter sleep in the cold!

Ning had been worried about that and Sun Jian too. If Jian found out about the development in his and Shang Xiang's relationship what would happen? Jian was protective of Shang Xiang and everyone in Wu knew that. Ning knew that he already had the Tiger of Jiang Dong's trust otherwise he wouldn't have been a high ranking general in the army, and he lived inside the castle with the other generals so Jian obviously trusted Ning for that, but Shang Xiang was a different matter. She was a person, and a very special person at that. Jian didn't even trust her own brothers with her in the fear that they'd lose her in Jian Ye- that had happened once when she was a child and they had to send out a search party, but luckily she was found safe and unharmed in a tavern where a local had found her wandering in the woods! To everyone's knowledge Sun Ce and Sun Quan were still being punished for it!

"Do you think everyone will ask questions if we go in now?" Shang Xiang asked as she hugged Ning. She looked up at him from where she was. "What if they find out straight away?"

"Do you want them to know straight away?" he replied. "I mean, we can always keep it secret for a bit, but I'm sure you've had enough of secrets since last night…"

"I know… but you know me. I like to keep some things to myself for a bit. Besides, this secret will be fun to keep…"

Ning raised his brow. "How d'ya mean?"

She giggled. "We'd have to sneak around to get some time alone together, and I could tease the Qiaos about my 'secret love'. They've been trying to find me a man for so long, but now I finally have one…" Before Ning could even reply to that Shang Xiang had attached her lips to his and was kissing him with the full amount of love she felt for him. Maybe it was the morning that was making her feel like that- she honestly had no idea. Whatever it was she didn't want it to stop. This was a feeling she intended to keep…


	7. Mystery Man

Disclaimer as before- I don't own Koei or Dynasty Warriors...

Next chapter to continue this extended fic! Ooh there's more mystery for them to solve... and I'm off to write more... enjoy! Oh, and thanks guys foryour reviews on this fic! Theywere one of the main reasons I decided to add to it:)

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**  
Chapter 7- Mystery Man**

The Little Conqueror yawned as he stretched between the kegs of wine from the previous night. His head hurt like hell but that wasn't what was bothering him. He wanted to know how his sister had got on with Gan Ning. He was the only one who knew about Ning's secret and inside he was really excited about the prospect of his sister going out with the ex-pirate. Sun Ce was a fun guy, and therefore wanted everyone to have fun. He couldn't see his sister forced into an arranged marriage to someone who was just plain boring, so he was planning on asking his father if he could be left in charge of setting up Sun Shang Xiang's 'wedding'. Ce knew this would be a challenge in itself as he still had to gain all of his father's trust. If Quan had asked then he would be allowed almost straight away, but with Ce it took a lot more time and a lot more thought.

Sun Ce stood up, stretched again, and made his way out of the kitchen, getting a few strange glances from the maids who were walking around making breakfast. He kept an eye out for Gan Ning as he wanted to know any news. He hoped it had gone well- nothing pleased him more than seeing his little sister happy…

"Sun Ce! There you are!"

Ce turned around and came face to face with his wife Da Qiao. His smile was instantly wiped from his face as he knew that she'd launch an attack of words at him, moaning that he'd had too much to drink and was setting a bad example to the other Wu generals.

"Er… good morning my beautiful wife…"

Da hit his arm. "You're drunk again! Whenever we have a party you just see it as some excuse to get wasted! I bet you don't even know where Shang Xiang is!"

"She's… in the castle…"

"Wrong!" The elder Qiao hit her husband again. "She's not in the castle! I don't even know where she is! Sun Jian is going to kill you if she's gone missing!"

"Me? Why me?"

"You're Shang's eldest brother and Jian expects you to keep an eye on her for him. You're lucky he's still asleep otherwise I'm sure your very existence will be at stake!"

"I can't keep an eye on her at all times! She's old enough to look after herself…"

"No she's not! She's the Wu princess- do you know what could happen if Cao Cao got hold of her?"

"She'd kick his ass, end of story!" Sun Ce chuckled to himself just as Da raised her hand to his face. She didn't slap him but induced fear into the poor man's eyes. Just then, a cheery girl walked past…

"Hi guys! Nice morning isn't it?"

Da recognised the voice and immediately turned around. "Sun Shang Xiang! Where the hell have you been?"

Shang smiled. "Nowhere in particular… why?"

"I've been worried sick! You weren't in your room this morning or the training room or any of your usual hangouts!" While Da's back was turned, Sun Ce was mimicking his wife's mouth actions and flapping his arms about like a bird. Shang Xiang had to suppress her laughter.

"You know I can take care of myself! And it wasn't as if I went very far. I'm not hurt or anything so stop fussing!" Before she carried on walking, Shang Xiang gave a wink to Sun Ce. It was then he knew that she had been successful in her 'search', and he smiled to himself as she walked off.

Da sighed. "That girl can be trouble sometimes." She faced Sun Ce again. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing my wife!" he replied. "Absolutely nothing…"

At breakfast everyone sat around the large Wu dining table. All of the generals were there, still slightly drunk after the previous night's celebrations. Signs of the party were still around the room- the flowers, the decorations… no one had been bothered to clear them away yet! Sun Jian was wide awake and smiling as he sat at the head of the table- he was in a cheery mood because for once nothing bad had happened at the party that he had to sort out. Usually Sun Ce ended up insulting a very important person, destroying relationships between Wu and other kingdoms. And Jian was supposed to be leaving Wu to that man? He wondered sometimes…

"So how was the party for everyone?" he asked. He got mainly grunts for answers.

"I drank so much…" Ce moaned.

"Zhou Tai tried setting me up with some women," Quan said. "And I might like to add that he failed…"

"Ha! Only the best for my Lord!" Zhou Tai chuckled in his deep voice. "You need a woman!"

"Speaking of women," Lu Meng said, "who scored last night? I mean one of us had to…"

The generals looked around at each other trying to spot any visible signs of love in their faces. Obviously it didn't show on Sun Ce or Zhou Yu- they were happily married as it was. Gan Ning hoped that he didn't give it away too much. He didn't spend too much time looking at Sun Shang Xiang, and neither did she at him. They didn't want to give it away just yet- only Sun Ce knew as yet…

"How about my special little girl?" Jian asked Shang Xiang. "Did she have a good time?"

She simply smiled at him. "That is for me to know and for you to find out!"

Xiao gasped. "That means yes! Are you hiding something Shang?"

Shang laughed, "Me, hide something? I think not!"

"You are! Ooh did you get a guy in the end?"

"Maybe I did Xiao…" she replied. "But that's classified information."

Xiao stared at the Wu princess' face for any sign of change. "You wait and see Shang Xiang. If there's anything that us Qiaos are good at doing that's uncovering secrets. Besides, I rise to the challenge! This new man of yours can't be that far away…" Xiao scanned the table. "You lot aren't safe from the detective prowess of the Qiao sisters!"

Da glanced at her sister. Detective prowess? Ok, so Da was good at finding out where Sun Ce disappeared to when he was meant to be in meetings, but that didn't make her a detective! Xiao was just over-excited, and she knew that Xiao wouldn't stop until the man had been found…


End file.
